How to power-off your Samsung Galaxy S22 or S21 device

Pressing and holding that power off but keep getting Bixby voice assistant pop up? That's because Samsung's Galaxy series of handsets aren't turned off in this way.

So if you've bought a shiny new Galaxy S22, have an older S21, Galaxy Note, or other Samsung handset of the recent past, here's a variety of ways by which you can successfully power it off.

The two button approach

Simply press and hold both the power and volume down keys and this will launch Samsung's power-off software screen. 

You can select 'Power off', 'Restart', or 'Emergency mode' - the last of which an option to ultra conserve battery life for as long as possible when in an emergency situation.

What about a crash or freeze?

Sometimes products go wrong, and while we've found the Galaxy S22 series to be pretty stable, certain apps may cause a crash or freeze that will require intervention. 

In this situation the solution is similar: press and hold the power button and volume down keys, but continue to do so for 10 seconds. You should feel a vibration, after which the device will restart and fix your crash woes (well, hopefully).

The software approach

Don't want to lift a finger? If you're a Bixby user then you can indeed load up Samsung's voice assistant and say "Bixby, turn off my phone" and your Galaxy device will shut down.

If, for whatever reason, the dual button press solution isn't for you - maybe one's got stuck? - then you can access the same power screen by swiping down once to access the notifications pane, then swiping down a second time where a search/power/settings set of shortcuts will appear - the power symbol is the one you want. 

And that's it, now you can switch off your Samsung S22, S21, or recent Galaxy device. It's a little different to older Samsung devices from years back and other Android phones, too, but an issue that catches users out all too often.